Fuludu, Alabi Assien, others tutor young players at IDP Camp in Edo State

Former Super Eagles star, Edema Fuludu and Bendel Insurance greatest coach, Alabi Assien, were among top coaches who tutored young players in various skills at the Community Sport and Educational Development (CSED) programme held at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Uhogua, Edo State recently.

The four-day event, an educational and sports life skills programme for school children, featured training in 11 different sports. More than 4,700 residents of the IDP Camp attended it.

A total of 20 coaches in different sports, as well as 19 demonstration athletes from the Edo State Sports Commission, were in attendance. Apart from using the programme to discover and nurture new talents, the coaches also used the event to lay the foundation for the participants in netball, cricket, badminton, table tennis, chess and scrabble.

The children played and received guidance in six sport codes for the first time. While the duo of Alabi Assien and Tony Emoedofu took the young footballers through their paces, Barrister Abraham Oviawe led the cricket team that was kitted by Lord’s Taverners (Sports Charity). The cricket team was made up of five coaches and 17 demonstration athletes.

A total of 25 cricket starter packs were used for the training and handed over to the management of the IDP Camp for the future training of the residents.

For the participants to learn how to play table tennis, three table tennis boards were used at the event. Fuludu, who is the current chairman of Delta FA, was able to transfer his coaching knowhow to netball, where he taught the girls some of the basics of the game. 

Fuludu used the life story of Mwai Kumwenda, a Malawian netball player to inspire the girls. Other sporting events held include athletics, volleyball, basketball and handball.

Social worker/Community Development Consultant, Clara Ukulu, trained the staff of the IDP Camp on ‘Safeguarding,’ in respect of their duty to care for the children and youths of the Camp, most of who are orphans.

At the end, Fuludu, who is the National Coordinator of CSED, presented 250 novels and general interest books for the library of the IDP Camp. Also, 300 anti-drug abuse brochures, donated by Foundation for a Drug Free World, were also presented to the management of the Camp for distribution to the children and youths.